“I suppose we all have to face the future some time,” she said, forcing a half

smile. “Seems to me you're doing it quite well.”

He chuckled. “Some days are better than others. I've made my share of

mistakes, had some missteps along the way. Some my doing, some not. Trick was to keep moving forward.”

She finished sliding her laptop in its case and zipped it shut. All packed. She

hoisted the strap over her shoulder. John still sat, watching, arms crossed, genial smile on his face. She felt like hugging him for some reason, not selling her down the river and all. It had already been a long day.

“We'll give you the word by Friday at the latest,” he said at last, standing.

“Once I have a chance to review the other three candidates' proposal with the rest of the committee, we'll narrow it down to two.”

“Fair enough.”

“For my part, I hope we see you again in two weeks.”

“Fingers crossed,” she said, smiling. Yet, part of her wished this was it. It would be easier to be done and gone for good. But wasn't it always?

“Well, I have another appointment waiting in my office.” He shook her hand,

gave her a couple of pats on her arm.

She only smiled, and he disappeared out the door.

“Kate?”

It was a new voice. Penny.

Kate turned. Be polite, she told herself. Only a few more minutes. “Yes?”

Penny was standing in the doorway. She had a small apologetic smile on her

face, hands clasped in front of her waist. “I just wanted to say you did a great job. In there.” She gestured with her head.

A compliment? From Penny Fitch? “Thanks. I'm never quite sure if John's just being nice to me.”

“No, as much of a softy as he seems, John's a pretty tough customer.” Penny

nodded, a shy smile on her face. She looked smaller than she usually did. Or maybe just normal. “Well, for what it's worth, I'm putting my vote in to work with Garman.”

Kate knew she must look surprised. “Really? Thanks.” Was this guilt?

“There's something else,” Penny said. “Something I'd like to say. Kind of a

confession, I guess. I want to apologize. I need to apologize, actually.”

Kate forced a nervous chuckle. “Apologize? Apologize for what?” she said,

although she already knew the answer. Let me get out my list…

“It's about school. About the Scholarship Fair, and what I did. Back then.”

Penny paused, searching for words. “I know it was a long time ago, and we were

just kids. That's not any excuse or a good reason…” She looked away, then back.

“But I was desperate, Kate.”

“I don't know what you mean.” Kate shifted her weight, began rubbing her

wrist.

“I was the new kid in school. Worse, I was the new girl in the senior class. I

put on a good face, but you all had known each other since grade school, grown

up together. I was the outsider, someone to be studied and categorized from the

get-go. Nerd, geek, mathlete, athlete…” She ticked them off on her fingers.

“After the first day, I could already tell who was going to talk to me and who was going to giggle behind my back.”

Kate felt something new. A twinge of sympathy? “I suppose it's always hard

coming into a new school like that.”

Penny shrugged. “I'd had some practice. It was my third high school.”

Kate raised an eyebrow. As much as Golden Grove had felt like an

emotional jail at times, she hadn't thought of the stability it had also given. One high school had been rough enough, but having to go to three?

“So, I guess I was jealous,” Penny said, looking down, then up, smiling.

“Especially of you.”

Me? Kate said with her eyes. “Why?”

“Because of Peter, of course.” Penny said it like it was obvious. “He was the

only one who was nice to me when I moved in on your street that summer. Not

just like a boy trying to hit on the new girl, but genuinely nice. While everyone else was going to pool parties and having fun, he would run with me sometimes.

He loved chemistry and hated Jar Jar Binks. We had a lot in common. I thought